Panda-shaped solar power plant opens in China

The Panda Power Plant, with a capacity of 100 megawatts, was connected to the grid in late June in the hills of Datong, Shanxi province. The plant, located in northeastern China, spans 248 acres and is in the testing phase and is producing 50 megawatts of energy. It is expected to be fully integrated into the grid by Aug.10.

The project is the world’s first of several panda-shaped solar farms expected to be constructed. The current solar farm highlights two baby pandas, while farms in the shape of two adult pandas will eventually be added.

Plus, there’s more pandas on the way. Panda Green Energy’s Panda 100 Program plans to build many more adorable green energy sites — enough to power 3.2 billion kWh of green electricity over 25 years, according to a release. That’s comparable to saving 1.056 million tons of coal, or reducing 2.74 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, the project notes.